


Be Who You Are

by kormantic



Category: Sierra Burgess Is a Loser (2018)
Genre: College, Dan and Sierra are home/done with classes for the summer, Dan can't even, Edutainment, Fighting with your friends, Futurefic, Gen, No one will ever regret their sass, Social Justice, Those kids and their YouTube channels, Veronica and Sierra are pals and roommates!, Veronica is taking her finals at Menlo Community College
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 03:02:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17035330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kormantic/pseuds/kormantic
Summary: Get out there and be your best selves, my little problem children!





	Be Who You Are

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rainingover](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainingover/gifts).



“And that’s our show. We discussed performative lesbianism--”

“Remember ladies, if you’re kissing other women in front of men with the intention of turning them on, you’re letting the patriarchy win,” Veronica said piously from offscreen.

“Suuuure. We used some Korean animal face masks printed on very fine cotton, talked about the cotton industry and how fucked up it is, and agreed to disagree on whether or not the masks actually make your skin glow? I mean. Maybe? It could just be the irritation of something drying and sticking to your skin. Also, thanks to Veronica’s camera work, you can tell that I basically looked like a serial killer.” 

“You definitely looked like a serial killer,” Veronica said, leaning over Sierra’s shoulder to talk to the camera directly. “But a serial killer with the poreless skin of a newborn.”

“So there you go.”

“Next week on Problematique: contract law!”

“Yes, technically contract law, but really just the ways and means to research and actually understand--”

“--the million jillion terms of service agreements you all totally lie about reading before you click.” Veronica grabbed Sierra’s reading glasses so she could glare over them at the audience, all hot librarian. “I see you.”

“Yes, that.”

“So get out there and be your best selves, my little problem children, but before you go, Sierra is on tour this weekend!”

“If you call hitting up an open mic night in Menlo Park ‘touring’.”

“She’ll be at Cafe Zoe’s at 9 pm! Speaking of contact law! If any of you have been offered a record contract, Sierra wants to compare notes! DM us at yourfavesareproblematique, as we’ve disabled comments on the YouTube channel because apparently a lot of you are gross, fat-shaming, trolling assholes. XO XO kiss kisses!”

Veronica stopped the camera and turned to find Sierra frowning at her.

“Why did you say that?”

“Because it’s true?”

“The ‘record’ is a soundtrack to an indie film. Which is going to make nine dollars.”

“Shut up! It’s super cute!”

“And Binary Star is going to be the wedding song of the year. You will achieve the same timeless glory as I Can’t help Falling In Love, All the Single Ladies and The Chicken Dance,” added Dan.

“I’ll be sleeping on a mattress made of Benjamins for sure if I can ascend to the storied heights of The Chicken Dance, Dan,” Sierra said drily.

“Sound engineering is gonna make me rich and then you’ll regret that sass, woman.”

Sierra made a puffin face at him and Dan slapped her on the shoulder.

“Hey, while Dan’s still here,” and Veronica blew him a kiss, “you want to make that promo for the thing? And we can get the first spot out of the way, too.”

“Sure,” said Sierra.

“Fine.” Dan agreed huffily. “But make it snappy, princess, because I have reading to do for my independent study, and a boyfriend to see. And also do.”

Dan took over the camera, and Sierra gave her trademark half-hearted wave.

“Hey there, Problem Children!” Veronica chirped. “Next week, we’ll have Nev Schulman on the show and we’ll talk about how shitty catfishing is, for all parties involved.”

“Also how to look your cutest for any event in every body,” said Sierra.

“And what it’s like to get around in a wheelchair--”

“--And how accessibility laws are basically bullshit almost everywhere.” Sierra and Veronica rolled their eyes at each other and sighed. 

“We’ll also follow up with Jillian, who interviewed for a job as a cis male named Felipe and then started the job as a transwoman, who then quit her job as a biostatistician to become an airline stewardess--”

“Their words, not ours,” Sierra added.

“--after her wife divorced her and took the kids.”

“Ouch. That’s a lot of trial and tribulation. Jillian now identifies as NB and goes by the name July, so we’ll have a lot to talk about.”

“See you then!”

Dan stopped recording and Veronica dug around in her desk for the show binder.

“Okay, go go go! Let’s roll on problem solving!”

“You are terrifying when you have more than one latte,” Dan muttered.

“Yes, yes, I’m a caffeine gremlin, let’s get this done.” She sat up and cleared her throat a bit, snagging Sierra’s water bottle and taking a few sips before tossing her hair back and nodding for Dan to start tape again.

“Your problems SOLVED: for GarMin who asked for cheap holiday gifts for a whole gang: we’ll show you how to be a whiz at fizzy bath bombs!”

“A whiz? Really? Are we in a time warp right now? Is this 1954?” 

“I’m making one for you, and you’re going to feel so gorgeous, so stop complaining and play the title, Dan.”

Sierra laughed, but plowed ahead with the segment anyway, continuing, “We’ll also have Erika Moen from Oh Joy Sex Toy to rec some toys for long distance relationships--”

“And then we’re going to listen in as I call my therapist to cry about how my best friend keeps reminding me she’s having orgasms over the phone with her high school sweetheart three times a week,” said Dan.

“You are _so_ fired,” Sierra promised, ears going red.

*

Twenty minutes later, they’d stopped filming for the day and Sierra was quizzing Veronica on biochem when Sierra’s phone chimed.

“I’ve gotta take this,” she said, heading into her bedroom.

Dan looked up from his reading to tilt an eyebrow at Veronica. “If I hear ANY kind of buzzing in there, I’m out.”

“Same,” Veronica said absently.

Sierra’s door slammed open.

“Veronica, what did you do?!?”

“Well, I do a lot of things,” Veronica said breezily, “So you’re going to have to be more specific.”

“That was Five Minute Records on the phone, calling to arrange studio time. They’re looking ‘forward to the first demo’.”

“Ohhhhhhhh,” Veronica said. “Right. I sold your song!”

“Yes, my song. By pretending you were me!”

“What’s the diff? I’ll just take whatever agents take… 15%?”

“Weren’t you actually in the room when we talked with that lawyer about rape by deception?”

“Hey! Let’s not use the term ‘rape’ when there have been _zero_ forcible sex acts here.”

“Hey! Let’s not sidebar into semantics when - you know what, _fine_ , but Veronica, you can’t just SELL my SONGS!”

“Relax, I know intellectual property is a thing! You’ve been stalling even though your dad vetted it and said it was legit. They needed an answer and so I just signed it for you.”

“Did you even get a copy? You’ll have to sign every follow up document from here on out, did you think of that?”

“Look, this wasn’t an elaborate forgery scheme or anything - I used YOUR signature! I just made a PDF and sent it to them. I copied you on the email! Like I was your fucking secretary—”

“Admin assistant,” Sierra sighed.

“Like a TWITTER BUTLER, like your social media tatestemaker, like someone who handles your PR, like a person in 2021! You can sign it again in real life later if they want something more official or notarized or whatever. Jesus.”

Sierra bit her lip.

“I’m sorry.”

“You still treat me like I’m an airhead meangirl.” 

“First impressions. You’d been shitty to me since middle school!”

“And you were shitty to _me!_ ”

“For like _half_ an hour in real time!”

“Why are we even friends?” Veronica stomped towards the door, already trying to will away angry tears, because she’d gotten the cat eye just right this morning, and Sierra yelled after her. “Because… you let me pretend to be who everyone thought you were!”

“A bitch who knew people only liked her for how she looked?”

“As someone confident, and yes, beautiful. You lent me a little of that fashion-y glamour and it helped me get Jamey.”

“I don’t know if I liked that person very much,” Veronica admitted.

“You were more than that… and now you’re grounded, you have goals, you know yourself better. You’re not obsessed with being perfect any more. You’re allowing yourself to love malted milkshakes even though they taste like ass. You happily volunteer opinions you used to worry would make you seem weird. Like the fact you ship Elenor/Tahani and don’t think bread and butter pickles should exist. And you’re getting really good at being GOOD. At being thoughtful. About researching stuff you don’t understand.”

“Whatever. Vox is probably overrated and pickles shouldn’t be sweet.”

“I’m just glad that you can be who you are with me. You’re actually pretty cool when you’re not trying to strip me of songwriting credits.”

“You look weirdly good with freckles, and yellow shouldn’t work on you, but it really does.”

“I’m going to get your little sisters to pinch you _so_ hard.”

“You’re all talk, Sierra Burgess,” admonished Dan. “You two better hug it out. I’m supposed to meet Damien at the Aquarius for that documentary on Sidekicks, Tokenism and Comic Relief.” 

Sierra arched an eyebrow and he admitted, “Fine, it’s about transwomen in Sudan, and you know I hate to miss the trailers.”

Sierra approached Veronica cautiously and Veronica let her come in for a hug.

“Stop jumping to the wrong conclusions about people,” Veronica sighed. “Everyone’s not out to get you.”

“Stop skating through life on snap decisions and the most convenient way to get stuff done and actually ask people about what’s important to them. But I’ll work on it if you will.”

“Ladies, if you’ll excuse me, I have some extra credit to earn for my Feminism, Gender and Sexuality course, so please stop blocking the door with all this… emoting.”

“We love you too, Dan-Dan!” they sing-songed together, dragging him into the hug.

“You had better. I’m the only one who knows your YouTube password.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hello rainingover! While doing some reading, I found refinery29’s dissection of the film, and the line “If you’re kissing other women in front of men with the intention of turning them on, you’re letting the patriarchy win.” Which. Is gold. I hope you had as much fun reading this as I had writing it. May your yuletide be bright and your 2019 super rad! XO XO kiss kisses!


End file.
